A mentor can share information about their own career path with an apprentice (or protégé), as well as provide guidance, motivation, emotional support, and role models. A mentor can help you explore careers, set goals, develop contacts, and identify resources. A mentor is someone who helps you develop your skills, make better decisions, and gain new perspectives on your life and career. As an apprentice, your mentor will draw on his experience to provide you with guidance about your career or life now and in the future.
In a mentoring relationship, it's important for the mentee to take the initiative, even if the mentoring program and its objectives are described and reinforced with supporting materials. The mentor's role is to act as a sounding board and guide. There may be times when the mentor talks the most, but an effective mentoring relationship makes the mentee much more responsible. Mentors are valuable sources of information.
A mentor can teach you about your organization and your industry or guide you and prevent you from making professional mistakes. A mentor is someone you can share ideas with and turn to for advice. Throughout mentoring, you progress professionally and learn to avoid the most common mistakes.
